The Uneven Book
by autumn-leaf16
Summary: This is a collection of my Prince of Tennis oneshots that doesn't fit into my other collection of oneshots. Contains a variety of pairings and Shiraishi is in most of the stories. These stories are all independent stories.
1. Shiraishi and Tezuka: Double Victims

**_Double victims_**

**_Brief explanation: I presume that people who are reading this have already read my other stories, and that is why they are reading something with such a vague summary. Basically these are one shots that I wrote that doesn't really fit with either "Chapters" or "The wavering clock", eg. I have a little one shot about Watanabe and Aizuki- my OC. I have this collection because I don't want to flood fan fiction net with my random stories/one shots._**

**_Summary: What if Shiraishi and Tezuka plays a match- Shiraishi's reaction to Tezuka's injury and decision. This stories uses the ideas (and the OC) in 'sacrifice' but it is not connected with my other fan fictions, this is a stand off story with the idea of 'what if this happened instead of what happened in 'sacrifice''._**

**_Author's Note:I got the idea for the story when I was reading my friend's blog, and somehow it involved a whole thing about Tezuka and his sacrifice- what he did with his arm. This then made me want to explore the idea of what it really meant, and how his opponent must feel. Since Shiraishi is the only character I feel I can try and write for, as I think I simply don't have a grasp of any other characters, I decided to do a what if idea- what if Tezuka had the problem with his arm when he is playing with Shiraishi (in this story the two of them are playing singles 1 and both schools have two win each, so this is the deciding match.) It would be much better to try and explore the singles 3 match of Tezuka and Sanada in the nationals but I know that I am unable to potray these two characters at all so I decided to use Shiraishi._**

**_Because Shiraishi is such a calm and composed character I don't think he will be having an emotional outburst, but I want to show him being affected so I extend this what if- this fan fiction is a bit of a 'what if' to my fan fiction- which as all fan fictions are, are what if scenes. But basically in this scene I'm taking his relationship with Ashita as a bit more far then what it was like in the original story (in the original story they just liked each other when they are in junior high school, but for this fan fiction presume that they were realizing that they love each other). The reason for this is to explain why Shiraishi might not be as composed as he really is. But this fan fiction's main purpose it to explore the whole idea of Tezuka's sacrifice and what his opponent might feel using this fan fiction scenario to show it._**

**_Word of warning: this story puts Tezuka's actions in a rather negative light._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

**_Written in: November, 2007_**

* * *

Photos could be mended but what about her heart? Shiraishi had carefully taped the ripped apart pieces together with the unchanged one as a guide, but the tear was still there.

Just as what he did would always be present even if they managed to reconcile. But he still rather have a ripped photo instead of only seeing this scene in his memory.

"Shiraishi, are you really alright?" Yuuji finally asked.

His friend has put the two photos in his bag and took out his tennis racquet, about to go and play the final deciding match.

They did not know what exactly had happened, but it was not hard to guess. Shiraishi had returned to their lodging after their meeting and grabbed his tennis racquet without saying one word of greeting to anyone before he went to practice madly in the nearby court. Their coach had to stop him by snatching the racquet away.

"Winning the nationals is the only thing I have left so I have to win!" had been Shiraishi's protest.

"I will be." Shiraishi said with a rather bitter smile. "I always manage when I play tennis."

Ashita was right, he thought, he was already beginning to be more occupied with the game instead of thinking about yesterday. Maybe he really wasn't meant to be her boy friend.

But it still hurt, and he now knew that it would continue to hurt even if Shitenhouji became the champion.

* * *

_She stood out very easily as she was in one of her many yukata, but there was a difference from now and the numerous times that she watched his game: she was not smiling at him._

"_Tanako?" Koharu and Yuuji echoed out in some surprise as their friend would have told them about her presence in Tokyo._

"_Ashita…what are you doing here?" Shiraishi asked, as puzzled as the rest._

"_I need to talk to you." Was her simple reply. "Alone. Now."_

_Watanabe quickly arranged this with what seemed to be light hearted teasing about youth, but some of the regulars could tell that he was rather worried._

"_I came to Tokyo because I believed that we can work all this out," Ashita began, her voice very cold as this was the only way she could keep her dignity. "But now I realized that I was wrong as I finally understand your choice: it wasn't even about tennis. It was a decision between your team and me_

"_You choose your team…that is the most important thing to you."_

_He couldn't defend himself in any way as that was what he did, he broke up with her because if she was there, then he might choose to focus on her instead of devoting himself to tennis for the sake of his team._

_Yet he clung onto the hope that he might be able to redeem himself once he achieved his dream of taking his team to the finals. The fact she still seemed to care for him encouraged him to continue this wistful thinking. (1)_

_A foolish belief as who would willingly be second best?_

"_So what is the point of holding onto what he once had?" upon saying this, she raised her hand to untie the ribbon that he had tied onto her hair on her birthday, the one where they spent together._

"_Ashita, can you not give me another chance?" he pleaded, refusing to accept the dangling ribbon._

"_Your first priority is your team, to win the nationals with them." She said coldly as she let the ribbon fall to the ground. "I never demanded to be the very first thing in your life but being only a second thought is simply too much."_

"_That is not true." He protested, grabbing her by the wrist as she was turning away. "You are equally important too! This year has been so empty because you are not there…I feel these pain even when we won the Kansai regional."_

"_I don't think I believe you anymore." she said bitterly, wrenching her hand out of his grasp. "How can I believe someone who dumped me just because my presence might distract him when I stopped demanding anything from him?"_

_Saying so, she took out her copy of the precious photo that he took almost every where with him since it lived in the same place with his tennis racquet._

"_This is my proof."_

_She tore the photo in two before she placed the now separated parts together inorder to rip it again._

"_What we once had is like this photo." She stated as she shoved the many pieces into his hand. "But do you know…I was beginning to think that I didn't just like you when you broke up with me."_

"_Ashita…"_

"_Tanako, my name is Tanako. Please remember that…Shiraishi-kun." (2)_

_

* * *

Like the regulars of the team and the members of the tennis club, Watanabe was watching the current match with a deep frown, but unlike the others, it was not caused so much by the actual result, but due to his worrying about the effect this would have on Shiraishi._

"I have a very bad feeling that this game is very dangerous for Shiraishi." He commented. "I don't really know why but I believe that something will be happening very soon."

He was feeling very guilty because his interference of letting Tanako Ashita come to Tokyo seemed to have backfired.

What Shiraishi didn't understand was that emotion was a living thing- his attempt of burying it could only be a temporary evasion. A burst would eventuate and the eruption would be much severe if there had been many other emotions.

In Shiraishi's case, he did have many other hidden grievances that he hid.

Soon enough, the catalyst to unburying all this appeared: it was Tezuka's injury.

Shiraishi managed to let the game be dragged on as he would return every single serve even if he was at the losing end of 0-40 or 40-0. He did this because he refused to just give a game away, especially when he was capable of holding on. (3)

"Forty all!" the umpire cried out even as Tezuka dropped his racquet due to his pain.

"TEZUKA-BUCHOU!" a loud scream appeared from Seigaku, while most other schools made some comment about the injury.

Shiraishi had a much more closer view then almost every one else since he was directly facing Tezuka. He could tell that the wrist was actually swollen, indicating that it had the potential of being much worse.

"You should get off court, Tezuka-kun." Shiraishi stated with sincere concern. "That is a very serious injury."

"Is that all you have to say?" Tezuka asked emotionlessly as he picked up his racquet again.

"Are you crazy? Do you not know what will happen if you continue?" Shiraishi almost felt like screaming, if this was happening to him then his coach would now be in the process of dragging him off, saying "Don't be an idiot, Shiraishi. Beside, I've already forfeit the match for you so there is nothing you can do about it."

"You are mistaken, Shiraishi-san, to think that our buchou will just give up before the very last point has been decided." Momoshiro commented. (4)

"Tezuka-kun, I beg you to forfeit one last time." Shiraishi pleaded. "I don't want to play against someone with the knowledge that I might do great harm to them, but if you don't forfeit then I will have to continue playing for my team."

"Is that all your have to say?" Tezuka stated once again.

"If that is your resolution then don't blame me for what I have to do." Shiraishi whispered softly as he served.

He knew that Tezuka was naturally unable to return this serve because he was still in the process of recovering from his injury.

The mummer of disbelieve was to turn into hostility when some of Shiraishi's serves forced Tezuka to drop his racquet partly due to the force he used, and partly because Tezuka's injury weakened him greatly.

"But that is not his fault." Kenya began indignantly due to the accusations from the Seigaku cheerleaders . "Shiraishi's can't just play with less strength…sensei?"

Watanabe got up from his seat without saying anything and walked to stand in front of the Seigaku regulars and club members. His expression did not seem particularly harsh in anyway, but his students could tell that he must be more then a bit angry in order to do this.

"How can you blame Shiriashi for what is happening to your buchou's arm?" Watanabe asked very coldly. "Isn't it natural that Shiraishi will not want to lose by preventing the game to be given to Tezkua and therefore tries to return each serve in the hope of scoring himself? It is not his fault that Shiraishi has a much better stamina then your buchou.

"You especially," Watanabe said as he pointed to Kaidou, "Can not blame Shiraishi since what you do to your opponent is a similar thing, and unlike you- Shiraishi did not do this on purpose.

"Last of all, how is it our fault if Tezuka did not want to stop playing even though he knows the risk? His arm is getting worse because you guys are not stopping him. Why should my student have to suffer for his opponent's problems?

"Beside, Tezuka is doing what he does in order to continue playing, do you think he will actually be happy if Shiraishi defaulted or deliberately let him win because of this?" (5)

Watanabe saw Shiriashi giving him a nod of gratitude before he resumed playing. The reason of his actions was partly due to the knowledge that the boy would be screaming himself if someone did not yell for him.

But he was actually truly angry at what was happening, and he would still be angry even if he was not personally involved in this match. What kind of example was this buchou setting up for his regulars? His actions were all but encouraging his team mates to play recklessly.

He supposed some allowances must be made since they were, at the most, only boys of fifteen years old. A very young age, although it was quite easy to forget this. An age where they usually all desired to excel in the thing that they chose, and in this case it was tennis.

Their coach, on the other hand, was different. No coach who truly cares for their students should allow this- to let their students risk injuring themselves permanently.

This was also part of their job! To prevent such dangers from happening!

* * *

In the end, Shiraishi was the one who lost, and the clapping for the winner was probably the loudest anyone had heard throughout the whole tournament, as well as being earned at Shiraishi's expense.

Tezuka was lying on his side of the court with his right hand pressing his now rather swollen and limp left wrist while Shiraishi was half kneeling on the ground even though he was not physically injured.

Apart from these who knew him quite well, it was not easy to see that he was undergoing an emotionally crisis.

He never expected them to automatically win just because of his actions, but it was still very difficult for him to come to term with the knowledge that his dream would never come true.

Even worse was the fact that he felt he was to be blamed as he was the one who lose this deciding game.

The cheering were beginning to hurt in more then one way, especially the praises of how Tezuka deserved to win due to this sacrifice.

He should leave as soon as he could, but he seemed unable to even more, so he continued to hear these words being repeated over and over again.

Was his own sacrifices worth it? He couldn't help but to question himself since what he wanted would not be his.

He might have had more fun…Ashita might be watching him now. At the very least she would not say that he never cared for her at all, to be accused of such a thing by someone so precious to him hurt greatly.

The worst part was that this was all his own fault- he was the one that forced himself to make this decision, he made a mistake by choosing in the first place as he finally realized that he could not be satisfied with having just one.

An understanding that came much too late as he now had neither.

He did not deny that this was all the result of his own folly, but nonetheless they were the sacrifices he did as he was the buchou.

So why were they all acting as if he never did such a thing? As if Tezuka was the only who did sacrifices for his team?

He was very tired…he tried to do what he believed to be the best for his team and the result simply hurts too much. He did not expect people to praise him for it at all, but seeing it being dismissed completely was too much.

* * *

Shiraishi's words were spoken out very softly, but the tone immediately hushed the crowd. Anger was present, but so was sadness- showing that this was not just caused by his current lose.

"So I should lose just because of this?" he whispered brokenly. "If he should win just because of his sacrifices, then what about all that I did? Doesn't playing this perfect tennis, which is the most boring thing in the world, for so long not mean anything?

"I never once complained about my actions because this is my duty by being the buchou. My team has to be the most important thing. Likewise my coach made this decision of letting me be the buchou since my second year even though he knew that this would not be a good thing for me.

"I don't blame him anymore as I understand that he too, must put our team first.

"So why do you all think only he did sacrifices?" Shiraishi continued, "And why should I lose just because Tezuka wishes for Seigaku to be the champion? What make you think that I have a different goal? Why else would I want to win so obsessively? I did not do all that I did for fun, it was all because I have a dream of wanting Shitenhouji to win.

"Seigaku won because it is better then Shitenhouji in skills, but not because of your wish to win, as I wish for that so much too! So does my coach and all my team mates!"

Shiraishi was a skilled enough player and his school have performed very well in the last nationals so most of the audience has seen him before. They usually judged him to be someone quite good tempered and one who acted in a mature way.

An image that contrasted greatly with the boy who seemed to be on the verge of screaming and even crying.

His team mates' shock clearly indicated that this was the first time their buchou behaved like this. Even the one who prophesised about the out burst was still surprised at the actual result- which was why he didn't do anything.

Some one from Seigaku must have retorted something and the immediate reproach and apology from his own team mates indicated that it was not as wise thing to say. (6)

"Would you sacrifice almost all your enjoyment in tennis for your team for more then a whole year? Would you? And would you sacrifice the person you care for the most?" Shiraishi snapped back angrily, his voice finally raised to be qualified as a yell. "Sacrifices are not just limited to a physical injury! Don't tell me that all I did was nothing! Especially making her go away…I care for her so much…I might even love her…but because of what I did she now think that I never cared for her…

"I know that I am the only one to be blamed for this," he admitted, his voice now much calmer and he even prepared to stand up and walk to the net. "But no matter what, I did what I did for my team, so stop saying that he is the only one who made sacrifices. However wrong…however foolish I have been, my actions were still guided by what made him do this very same thing."

When Shiraishi stood up, he was awarded with clapping as well, although there many who still did not understands. But those who did all clapped with great enthusiasm as they could realise how much it would hurt to do what Shiraishi did.

It was a particular loud clap that caused Watanabe to discover her- a much more difficult task then usual as she blended in with the rest quite easily due since she was wearing her school uniform.

"I think he does not need to lose in both cases." Watanabe commented as he took something out from Shiraishi's bag. "Children need guidance, and perhaps I can actually do what I intended."

* * *

Ashita was deeply startled when he tapped her on the shoulder, since she was completely focused on watching Shiraishi. Her clenched hands were a further indication.

"It is not my fault that he lost." Was the first thing she said to the coach of Shitenhouji.

Although she almost wished that this was not true, as it would show her that she was much more important. But she was not that selfish as she wanted him to win due to knowing how much this meant to him.

"Of course not. But this is." Watanabe said, pointing to the court.

"It was that school adding insult to his injury!" Ashita immediately retorted angrily. "I'll be angry too if I am him! First blaming him for blaming their buchou's own problems and then suggesting that Kura…Shiraishi did not deserve to win! As if they are the only ones who want to win and…"

"Yes, he might not be doing this if he won but I doubt that he would be smiling as your are really precious to him, losing you really affected him greatly." Saying so he placed the taped up photograph and the ribbon carefully wrapped in tissues into her hand. "Some times there are things of equal importance, but you don't always know it when you should. Tanako-chan, is this not a good enough proof of how much he cares for you?"

At the sight of these treasures he had preserved so carefully she could only nod because she found herself unable to speak right now.

"Then go and tell him." Watanabe said gently. "I think he will be able to accept losing if you are there beside him."

* * *

_1 Another difference from my original fan fiction, as in the original story he actually doesn't know that she still like him, which I think make more sense since he is only fourteen, if not fifteen._

_2 Basically in Japanese culture you rarely call some one by their first name unless you know them really really well and you usually have known them for a very long time (a bit like Inui and Yanagi). But I think you can call your boy and girl friend by their first name. So Shiraishi used to call Ashita by her first name as she was his girl friend, but now she is telling him that he doesn't have the right to call her that and he should call her 'Tanako' as a normal friend or class mate would have to do._

_3 Just for those who doesn't understand tennis, which I didn't understand for ages. Say that they are at a situation of 40-0, where the 40 is scored by Tezuka. Basically all Tezuka have to do is to score one more time and the game will go to him, and then you start the whole thing again. But in Shiraishi's case he have to score five times (counting the advantage serve) so in some cases some people in his position will just give up the next ball as they might think it is not worth it, having to spend that much stamina in trying to score a game, which you might not even get, as your opponent just have to score one more time. This actually has been done- by one of the regulars in midoriyama when they played against Kaidou and Inui._

_4 This is a reference to what Momoshiro and Ryuzaki-sensei had said in the kantou regional, during Echizen's match with Sanada. Sengoku was saying that Echizen should give up as otherwise he might be harmed- Momoshiro then told him that he is wrong, while Ryuzaki-sensei added that no one in Seigaku will give up before the game finishes._

_5 A totally random side note but this is my favorite part in the whole story: Watanabe's speech._

_6 In regard to who said the really rude thing I leave it up to you to decide._

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**I really wanted to show the following ideas in this fan fiction.**_

_**1) it is not the fault of Tezuka's opponent that this is happening to him. (I must admit I made that mistake myself too.) But the fact that Tezuka can not last a very long match is his own fault because it is not wrong to drag a match out- whether on purpose (as Atobe tend to do) or as an accident (as what Shiraishi do in this story). Many player does this in order to study their opponent's technique.**_

_**2) Seigaku is probably the last lot who can yell accusations at their opponents because it is Seigaku who didn't stop Tezuka. Why should his opponent have to forfeit when there is nothing wrong with them? Why should the opponent have to forfeit because Tezuka can not play anymore? If there is something wrong with someone then that person must suffer for it himself, it is not fair for his opponent to suffer this.**_

_**3) Tezuka is doing what he did so he can continue playing anymore, would he actually want his opponent to forfeit and deliberately lose to him? I don't think so, I believe he want his opponent to continue playing.**_

_**4) lastly, Tezuka is not the only buchou who performed sacrifices, a lot of the other buchou did too. I do not like how Tezuka is seen as the only one to perform sacrifices just because his sacrifices is more easy to see. I am not saying what Tezuka does is not admirable, but I am just saying, it is not the only thing, and it is not fair that he should win just because of that action.**_

_**5) my disappointment in Ryuzaki sensei as a coach, I really think she should not let them continue. I also really believe that unlike her, Watanabe would stop his students if they are in a similar position.**_

_**Additionally, this story also kind of show him realizing tennis is not enough, he can't just be happy just because of tennis. I think he thought that he could manage and he believe that he should do this, but then he realize that you can not just make tennis into the only thing, that you need other things too, but this is more specific to this fan fiction.**_


	2. Fuji: The Missing Subject

_**"The missing subject"**_

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**This is a super late birthday gift fic to my friend Satsuki (as she is known on life journal, since I don't want to disclose real names). But basically her favourite character is Fuji and since she heard about how I did a gift fic for blue penguin for Christmas, she kind of asked me to do a similar thing. Since she is currently doing an OC story I thought I'll use her OC (who ends up with Fuji.) yet involves my own story about Shiraishi and Ashita- because she says she is doing that too.**_

_**Truth be told, I don't really like the result, I don't really like this story. This is a bit like double victims, it has Ashita in it so it has the plot that involves with her, but it is not related 'Sacrifice', 'chapters', and 'the cracked mask' in anyway. Because I simply do not have the character of Delrossario Hanakou in my story. As I said, I don't like this story probably because I really don't like Fuji, and I don't really like her OC either. I mean, Satsuki is a really good friend of mine, which is why I am writing this, but I still don't like her OC. If you want to know more about her ideas then you can find her on my friends list.**_

_**Since this is a birthday fic for her, I will call Fuji by his given name, which I don't do myself. She also helped me to edit it.**_

_**Completed:**_ _**March 1-7, 2008.**_

* * *

Fuji Shuusuke smiled when his two kohai addressed him after they won their match, he continued to smile when the whole team welcomed Kawamura back, just as the smile remained when Tezuka won the match, along with the semi-finals, very gloriously.

He naturally had to smile when the two teams shook hand because he didn't want anyone to think that he wasn't happy with the result, but the truth was that he did not feel like smiling at all, he was actually really tired of doing this.

He shook his head a bit, as if he could clear away all these thoughts just by doing that. He should stop now as his loss did not have a disastrous effect on anyone other then himself.

"Alright, let's go and celebrate by eating yakiniku, as promised!" Kikumara yelled out loudly. "Hanakou! Hanakou!! We are leaving now!"

"Eiji, you better ask Tezuka first!" Ooishi reminded him. "And don't be so loud, Shitenhouji is practising for their match tomorrow."

"Isn't that Kikumaru-senpai's friend?" Momoshiro whispered to the nearby Echizen. "Hey, she is walking toward the Shitenhouji team!"

"The possibility that she knows one of the regulars in Shitenhouji is xxx." Inui began automatically with his notebook in hand.

"Eiji!" Ooishi gave a loud yell as Kikumra was clearly ignoring him a second time by going to the place his friend was.

"I'll go and help Ooishi." Shuusuke said before he gave all of his kohai a slight glare. "Don't follow me as we don't need things to get worse."

This was a valid reason because Ooishi was simply much too nice. He would probably accept any insult as angry words spoke in bitterness even if they were clearly not.

But the real reason was due to Hanakou, although the way she was greeted immediately made his emotion altering from that of worry to indignation.

"Oh great, as if the day can't get worse." Zaizen muttered as soon as he saw her.

"I want to talk to Shiraishi." Much to the three Seigaku regulars' surprise, Hanakou spoke without being affected at all.

"I am not your messenger." Zaizen said with a roll of his eyes, "Beside, knowing you the message is going to be something really stupid."

"What is your problem?" Kikumaru demanded angrily. "Hanakou didn't do anything to you so why are you being so rude?"

"Oh but she has." Oshitari Kenya said very calmly as he arrived. "Zaizen, be grateful that Shiraishi is busy as he would not be so lenient right now. Go and run some laps."

"Thank you." Ooishi began politely. "We are very sorry for bothering you guys in your practise but…"

"Don't thank me." Kenya interrupted him briskly. "The only reason I told Zaizen off is because he was being too rude. Otherwise I agree with him. If Shiraishi had time to spare then he should have spend it with some of his kohai instead of teaching _her_."

"It almost makes us wonder who his girlfriend _is_, as well as the real reason of why they broke up." Zaizen butted in.

"What are you still doing here for? Start running." Kenya snapped before he turned to the others. "Once again, I only stopped him because he was too rude. Delrosario-san, as you should be able to see, we are very busy right now."

Although his voice was polite, they could still detect the annoyance in it.

"Very well." Hanakou said calmly. Her business was very important, but her pride forbade her to make a scene. Besides, she was not alone right now, as she should be with a matter that was as sensitive as _that_.

* * *

Shuusuke's curiosity was increased even more due to his own evasion- he rather be puzzled about Hanakou's problems instead of thinking about his own confusion in regard to that singles 3 game.

"I am sorry that you could not speak to Shitenhouji's Shiraishi." He began suddenly, almost startling her.

"Oh yes…but it might be better for him, in a way." Hanakou muttered as she resumed eating.

More then two years has passed since their first meeting but it seemed that nothing had changed. She and Kikumaru were still talking in a way that he could not participate as he did not know her that well. Hanakou's words to him were still polite and even a bit guarded, just like how she addressed him.

"Do you know them well?" Kikumaru asked from her other side. "Are you going to abandon us again?"

"Of course not!" she replied with a smile for his sake. "It is not as if I know them that well."

"But you seem to know some of them well enough." Inui said as he suddenly crept up. "Delrosario-san, what do you actually know?"

"Inui-san…Seigaku has already played against Shitenhouji." Hanakou began rather nervously, somehow Inui always have this affect on her, ever since their first year. Though he would smile at her at times, she felt that he was much too calculating.

"Data is always useful." Inui said firmly. "Delrosario-san, if you help me then I will let you have a special taste of my latest…"

"I am really sorry but I have to go to the bathroom, my stomach suddenly hurts a lot."

In her hasty departure, Hanakou knocked over her own bag, which she had placed between her and Shuusuke. As he was the closest person to the bag, he bent down to pick it up.

That was how he saw the photo…a photo that was quite interesting to him because he could recognise one of the people in there.

It was rather strange for Hanakou to have this photo as the two people in it were clearly very intimate with one another.

Upon being asked what he was doing, he quickly resumed putting Hanakou's things into her bag as an answer. In this process, he accidentally flipped the photo.

The first thing he noticed was the large and short writing done by a felt tip pen and like any body in his situation, he couldn't help but to automatically read it. The words were simply: 'Kuranosuke and I on my 14th birthday'.

Then he saw the much lighter and smaller words in pencil. If this photo belonged to Hanakou then he would not have read it out of respect and courtesy for her. But because the owner of this photo was the unknown girl in the picture, he did not see the need to stop himself.

_I don't want this photo any more because I think I finally given up on you. I saw your game today and you looked so desolated when your team mates lost. In that moment I realised that nothing other then Shitenhouji winning can make you be happy in that situation._

_Yet Shitenhouji winning can make you smile even after you broke up with me, in fact, that was why you broke up._

_You know…I never pretended so be someone really special other then having you caring about me. But because of that I thought that you might be able to accept losing if I am beside you. Maybe that is why I came to Tokyo, but it seems I thought too highly of myself._

_When you broke up with me, I didn't agree. I give you my agreement now._

A photo captured a single moment in time, it did not give any indication of how the exact circumstances that let this photo come to being, nor could one guess about this couple's fate just by looking at this moment.

Perhaps their matches were similar. The matches itself was like the moments that would be captured by the shuttle. Who but the person themselves would know of all that they did to be standing at that place at that time?

Life would go on too, regardless of whether it be a loss or win. But they would not see that, all they usually saw of their opponent was when they played against one another.

Shuusuke couldn't help but to wonder what Shiraishi had been like when this photo was taken, as well as how he had changed since that day.

"It is my wish to let my team win the nationals." He had thought that it was then natural for him to win when he said it, since he wanted it so badly. But as he looked at this photo he had to ask himself why he didn't think that his opponent might want the same thing.

"Fuji-san." Hanakou began, only to pause as she saw that he was still holding onto the photo.

"Delrosario-san, you arrived just in time." He said with a forced cheerfulness as he took her by the elbow. "I'll just borrow you for a second."

"Fuji, that is not fair!" Kikumara protested, although he couldn't do much as he was soon distracted by Ooishi's lectures about the right way to grill meat.

* * *

"First of all, I am sorry for looking at this photo and reading the words on the back." Shuusuke began when he handed the item back. "But Delrosario-san, what did happen with Shiraishi and this girl?"

"I know that it is not my business but…Delrosario-san, when I played against him in the semi-finals, he had a very strange expression. He was not happy even though it was his match point. Instead, he displayed a sadness along with weariness. I can't help but to wonder why, what could have happened to make him act like that at such a situation?"

"I do not know why I shall tell you this but I will." Hanakou said slowly. "Perhaps it is because you remind me of him a bit. Shiraishi is not someone who easily lets others see what he is thinking as well.

"The girl with him in this photo is Tanako Ashita, one of my closest friends in Osaka. She was also Shiraishi's girl friend from our second year. The two of us would occasionally go to watch the regulars practise and they had to tolerate it since Shiraishi is the buchou." A slight smile appeared as she recollected how Tezuka had made her leave despite Kikumaru's pleadings. But it quickly disappeared to make place for a frown of disapproval.

"But they broke up at the start of the year. Well, Shiraishi broke up with her. He told her…he told her that as the buchou he must focus on his team completely, he can not allow himself to have any distractions."

Perhaps Shuusuke was not the only one who smiled a fake smile.

He could not understand how Shiraishi managed to continue smiling when he realised that his dream was still not going to come true even though he abandoned so much in order to be here? Nor could he work out why it was him that Shiraishi allowed to see the truth behind his appearance when he had not allowed his own team mates to do so.

Maybe it was because of what Hanakou said, they were a bit similar.

"We went to watch the semi-final of the nationals together this afternoon and afterwards Ashita gave this to me to give to Shiraishi." Hanakou concluded. "I can understand why she does not want to hand it to him herself but I don't really want to do it either."

"She is unable to face him- his pleadings might change her mind." Shuusuke said softly. "Though she must regard him as having done wrong to her she still cares about him enough to want to be with him again. I can understand that although my own experience was not so painful, nor was the girl in so much wrong." An almost evil smile appeared on the genius' lips. "You see, she just left Tokyo and went to Osaka without much warning."

If he expected to make her blush, then he was certainly successful.

"Let me do it for you." He said as he gently took the photo out of her hand. "I will give it to him."

* * *

It was not hard to find any of the Shitenhouji members as they were all practising, with the exception of Gin due to his injuries. As they were not able to return with a place higher, they were determined to get what they had obtained last year.

Right now, Shiraishi was taking a rest by supervising the match between Koharu and Yuuji, who were playing against Kenya and Zaizen, while Gin was observing the match between Kintarou and Chitose.

"Fuji-kun, how can I help you?" Shiraishi said rather politely with a courteous smile, one that Shuusuke now realised as being as fake as his own.

"I have a message from Delrosario-san, who got it from Tanako-san."

"She is in Tokyo?" Yuuji exclaimed in surprise.

"I think she is thinking about returning to Osaka tomorrow morning, before your game." Shuusuke said as he handed the photo to the buchou of Shitenhouji.

"Is that so?" Shiraishi muttered softly as he turned the photo over, only to quickly flip it back upon seeing the words.

"Everyone, resume practising." He ordered briskly even as he let out a deep sigh and rested his head into his own hands. "Fuji-kun, thank you for giving this back."

"Are you just going to sit there?"

Shuusuke's tone made Shiraishi look up quickly because it was more then a little sharp.

"What do you think I should do then?" Shiraishi asked wearily. "Everything she accused me of is true. I had to do what I did because I am not," he said with a very mocking smile, "a genius."

Shuusuke suddenly remembered the very first time he saw Hanakou as well as the numerous occasions when he deliberately went to talk with her. Some time during that short period, he had started to care for her.

But she went to Osaka without very much warning. She and Kikumaru continued their correspondence but he found it rather hard to do the same, thoughts of her reaction kept on making his courage falter.

It seemed that Shiraishi and his girl friend had undergone a similar thing, the only difference was that she had accepted him. Unlike him, he didn't even have a chance to try and change his relationship with her: the subject in the photo left before he even had the opportunity of clicking the shuttle.

"I don't have to be a genius to know that you shouldn't let her slip away." Shuusuke whispered very softly. "If you truly care about her then you should try and talk to her one last time."

Shiraishi did not answer him this time, but Shuusuke knew what would happen, as he started to walk away he suddenly heard his name.

"Fuji-kun, do you know the other reason why Zaizen dislikes Hanakou-san so much? Because she once told him that she knows another genius in Tokyo who is so much better than him. It was said in an argument, but it was not something said in pure anger as she was very calm and certain about it."

* * *

Shuusuke did not really get to talk with Hanakou due to the chaos that Inui caused by bringing out his Inui-sauce. The data gatherer innocently pointed out that they never once said that they didn't want any sauce.

"It is all Inui's fault that Hanakou was throwing up and is not with us now." Kikumaru said angrily. "And Momoshiro for swapping his plate with her's."

"But you did the same too, senpai!"

"That's different, I'm Hanakou's best friend." Kikumaru stated very simply.

"The match is starting." Tezuka said sternly, silencing the arguments.

"This is an unexpected data." Inui suddenly said. "Delrosario-san is right over there, a few steps away from us."

"HANA…" Kikumaru was forced to stop when Shuusuke gently probed him on the arm.

Standing beside Hanakou was a girl in a yukata, someone that the Seigaku regulars, save for one, did not know about. Even though her eyes were slightly puffy, she was smiling with true happiness.

Tanako Ashita smiled even more when Shiraishi deliberately walked to her and whispered something that made her laugh along with a slight blush.

When Shiraishi turned to meet Shuusuke's glance, he smiled a truly sincere smile as well as nodding slightly before he said something to Hanakou.

Shuusuke found himself doing the same thing, and his grin grew wider when Hanakou came over to pass the message, which was three simple phrases.

"You are right.

"Thank you.

"Good luck."


	3. Watanabe: Waiting

**_"Waiting"

* * *

_****__**

_**Author's Note**_: _**An aftermath of "The cracked mask", set some time after Aizuki and Watanabe's marriage.**_

**_Written: March 26-27, 2008_**

* * *

The night was unusually long, and neither the rain nor wind was helping Aizuki at all.

She did not usually have insomniac problems, but she always ended up being an extremely light sleeper whenever her husband was away as she would wake up soon after he entered their apartment. But he was still unaware of this as she did not want him to sleep on the sofa due to the concern of waking her up.

Aizuki did not wish for that- one of the best things about their marriage was that he would always hold her when they laid together, his body pressed right against her's: a very comforting thing.

Utterly frustrated, she sat up. Sleep without him did not seem to be possible this night.

She only ended up worrying even more when she saw that it was two o'clock in the morning: he had never been this late.

He was absent because Shitenhouji Chuu's tennis team was in the nationals again, and they naturally stayed until the end of the whole tournament regardless of their own performance. Since he was a good coach, he would always make sure that all the boys were picked up before he goes home himself on the rare occasions when they returned to Osaka at night time.

But why was he still not back?

She switched on the light and began to rummage through her wardrobe, she needed to do something in order to stop all the possibilities that her mind was providing.

Cleaning her clothes…that was a good idea. One of her worst habits was to just leave all her clothes lying on the floor, if not shoving them in her closet. She always promised herself to change this habit, but she still has not succeeded.

When she lived with her siblings she would only sort out the clothes of her and her sister, since her twin brother was responsible for his own room. He would leave his dirty clothes in their laundry basket.

But her husband's clothes were mingled with hers and she was much comforted by the sight of her yukata being tangled with his shirt when she shoved them inside. It served as another sign of the two of them being truly together.

Her hand suddenly stopped their work when she saw the black kimono-like outfit. The out fit made the day after she learnt of her parents' death.

She had been remarkably calm upon hearing the news, and she managed to see the officer off and took the barely used cups to the sink, while Akio continued to weep.

Her immediate emotion was actually anger, that her parents were taken away from her when they were finally being parents to her. Just before they left for that ill fated trip to the supermarket, her mother was talking to her about her job as they washed the dishes together, and Aizuki decided to tell her mother about the problems she was having with her boyfriend the very next day..

"I refuse." was all she would say.

Ashita naturally had a long and loud cry about this because they were her parents, even if they were hardly home.

Aizuki did not cry when she asked for some days off in order to prepare for the funeral, and after she obtained permission she actually brought some black fabric before heading home, as she did not have any black outfits that she could wear.

As she started to sew, she suddenly recollected how her mother would often stand behind her and gently guide the fabric by holding her hand.

That warmth was a very deep comfort to her, making her realize that her mother did care for her, even if she refused to stay beside her when she once had a nightmare.

Something she would never feel again…

Her hands began to shake and within seconds she was crying violently. After fifteen years she still missed that warmth- a feeling similar to that of her husband when he held her so close.

Watanabe had to catch an early train so he went to sleep as soon as he finished his packing. By the time she went to bed he was already asleep, so she climbed in very quietly and wrapped her arms around him. But when she woke up the next day, there was only the faintest warmth on the spot beside her.

She didn't want that to be her last memory of him.

Let him come in now! Let him make his way across the dark and then wrap his arms around her as he always would.

But there was nothing other then the sound of rain and wind along with the tickling of the clock.

* * *

Watanabe was in a rather lousy mood so he used this as a justification of having a few drinks before he went home.

Their train was delayed due to a mixture of reasons and even though most boys had someone to wait for them, there were a few who had intended to take the public transport home, which was not possible now that it was quite late. Since he was the adult responsible, he had to borrow the car of someone's parents who lived near by and drove them home, he who hated driving due to what happened.

This was why he was in a bad mood and went to the nearby bar to have a few drinks .

He reasoned that Aizuki would be sleeping- most people would be by this time, and he did provide an explanation through a brief text, just in case she woke up.

He actually felt really happy just by returning here, as he knew that Aizuki would be in this house. It was Sunday tomorrow so she might still be in his arms when he wakes up, a feeling that he really enjoyed. He almost risked being late on the day he left as he felt like holding onto her a bit longer.

He frowned when he saw the light from their bedroom- why wasn't she sleeping at this time? It was almost four in the morning! But he hardly has time to react as he soon heard her crying.

"Aizuki, what is wrong?" he demanded as he charge in, only to have her clinging onto him in a rather uncharacteristic tightness.

"I am so sorry that I got home so late but didn't you get my text? Or did something happen to Ashita or your brother?" he continued rather incoherently when she showed no sign of stopping. "Did something go wrong in the weekend?"

"I was really worried." Aizuki finally whispered over and over again, after he retorted to shaking her. "It was so late and you still didn't' come back. I don't know what I'd do if you are gone like them!"

* * *

Ten minutes later she was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her while he knelt beside her in order to lock his arms around her. She was considerable calmer, even blushing a bit.

"I admit, comforting a slightly hysterical wife is not what I thought I'll be doing when I get home." He said with a slight smile.

"I was really worried!" she snapped.

"I know, and the truth is I am kind of glad about this." He told her gently. "It makes me realise that you really do care for me."

"Of course I love you." She began rather indignantly. "Why will I marry you and remain married to you for five years if I don't love you?"

"Because I often wonder whether I asked you to marry me a bit too soon." He admitted. "The truth is that you were never my girl friend, you just became my fiancée and then my wife after a very short amount of time."

"But weren't you the one who said that our relationship progressed in all but name?"

The truth was that he was equally paranoid.

"But Aizuki, how did you know that I was unusually late when you don't know when I usually come back?" he suddenly pointed out.

"I…I always wake up when you come home late at night." She finally admitted. "But I didn't want you to worry about waking me."

"So I can be as loud as I want?" he asked merrily. "So I can kiss you every time I come back?"

He didn't want her to deliberately stay up and wait for him but he was secretly disappointed that she would always be sleeping, even when he embraced her.

Perhaps every husband liked to think that there was some sort of special bond that would cause his wife to sense his presence as soon as he entered their home.

"And this is something that we do have." He whispered out aloud.

* * *

_**Author's Note: I quite like doing this little one shot as I am really glad to be able to talk more about Watanabe and Aizuki, showing what their relationship is like after marriage, since the cracked mask is about how they end up admitting their love and being together, so I like the opportunity of writing about them being sweet together.**_


	4. ShiraishiZaizen: Beneath Our Facade

_**"Beneath our façade"**_

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**This is a gift fic to my friend Kody applefield from life journal.**_

**_Warning: Kirihara is playing that bad guy!Completed: June 28, 2008_**

* * *

Zaizen was often described as having a poker face because he rarely allowed anyone to see his emotions changing. Therefore, it was very rare to see him lose his temper, as he would desliver some cutting remark with only a narrow of his eyes at the most.

Yet his expression suddenly started to change when they turned to his buchou-he was no longer so confident and certain.

"So you were walking with your tennis racquet in your hand when you tripped due to a banana skin and as a result your racquet broke because you landed on it while your leg got injured due to the angle you fell. Your fist is swollen because it accidentally hit the wall while the black eye is there because you landed face down." His buchou said very slowly, "Are you sure that this is what happened?"

Zaizen nodded even though Shiraishi's tone clearly revealed that the other saw through his lie.

"And what about Kirihara Akaya's injury? He got injured really badly because he took a fell down the stairs as well? He happened to trip on the same banana skin after you fell?"

"Stairs are dangerous, buchou." Zaizen said in a very matter of fact tone.

Shiraishi gave a slight chuckle before he continued in that extremely calm voice-which was a very bad sign. "So you didn't hit him with your tennis racquet and therefore he wouldn't punch you and give you a black eye. If that didn't happen then you two obviously didn't start a fight on the stairs and then rolled down. Therefore I shouldn't ask you why you were fighting with Kirihara because that never happened, as what Kamio saw was just an illusion."

"Pretty much." Zaizen said steadily.

Upon this his buchou finally let out a cry of frustration before he took a deep breath and tried to reason with the second year again.

"Look, everyone knows that Kirihara insults just about everyone so it is understandable if you got angry. The problem is that fighting on the stairs is a bit too much. This is why I need to know what he said in order to defend you to the coaches."

"But nothing happened, we just both tripped." Zaizen said again.

"Zaizen, I don't want to have discipline like Higa or Rikkai but if you don't tell me what really happened and continue to stick to a lie that even Kin-chan can detect then…"

"I tripped and had a bad fall, so did he." Zaizen repeated once again, not even letting Shiraishi finish his threat. "Buchou, why can't you just leave it at that?"

"Because that wasn't what happened at all! I want to know what made you behave in such an uncharacteristic way!"

"I told you, I tripped and had a bad fall."

"Fine, you took a fall. I won't ask any more questions from you because you clearly won't tell me anything." Shiraishi muttered, but his kohai could tell what he really intended to do.

"Buchou," Zaizen said very slowly, stopping him from exiting the room. "If you go around asking Kamio or Kirihara about what happened then I will quit the club. I swear that I will do this."

Shiraishi's words died when he saw the full seriousness on Zaizen's face. This was not an idle threat. For some strange reason Zaizen did not want to let him know what really happened and he really would go this far to prevent this from happening.

The door was not slammed, but the curses in their native kansai were a good guide to what Shiraishi's felt at this moment.

* * *

The truth was that Shiraishi never once thought that Zaizen would be the one to give him any trouble. When he first heard about this meeting his immediate source of concern was Kintarou. But ironically, Kintarou did nothing alarming at all, the other boy was even comforting him about the big mess that Zaizen caused by his fight with Kirihara on the stairs.

Shiraishi really felt like doing what Akazawa would do: letting out a loud scream in order to get all this stress released.

"Shiraishi-san, is Zaizen-kun alright?" Kamio asked.

"He is fine now. Luckily the injuries are only temporary." He muttered.

"Good, I really don't think it is his fault because I would be pretty tempted to punch Kirihara if I was in his situation." Kamio said with a firm nod. "Although I have to say, I would probably saved the fight until we got down the stairs.

It was clear that Kamio knew exactly what happened but the most frustrating thing was that Shiraishi could not ask him what Kirihara said while Kamio did not reveal it as he thought that Zaizen already told his own buchou.

"But what did he say?" Kintarou asked. "Zaizen wouldn't tell us."

"He hasn't?" Kamio examined out in great surprise. "I would have thought that he would have told you at the very least, Shiraishi-san."

"Quite the opposite. He threatens to quite the team and club if I so much as ask either you or Kirihara." Shiraishi muttered bitterly.

"Oh…then I…"

"But Shiraishi is not the one that is asking. I am." Kintarou suddenly said. "That's okay then. You are telling it to me and Shiraishi just happens to be here and hears it."

At times, it takes someone like Kintarou to be the one to point out something so simple and obvious.

Kamio nodded in agreement but he actually took a good look around before he spoke.

"I am only quoting Kirihara, okay? This is not what I think at all. I don't want Zaizen to punch me too if he accidentally hears this." Kamio reminded them rather pointedly before he finally revealed what had happened. "Basically Kirihara told Zaizen that he is going to beat him really bad and Zaizen said something back. Then they somehow mentioned you and Kirihara said that he is going to humiliate you by beating you really bad too."

The truth made Shiraishi even more puzzled because they should not be enough to make Zaizen act in such an uncharacteristic way. It was true that Zaizen was proud of Shitenhouji and would lash back at any insult but it was never in a physical way, and why was he so angry when he didn't mind the attack towards himself?

"I think Zaizen finally snapped when Kiriahra added that you aren't that great as you would have lost to Fuji if it wasn't for the white dragon." Kamio added.

This made Shiraishi completely confused because what happened at the end of his tie-break was something that hurt him, and Zaizen should not be that in-dignified on his behalf as to start a fight with someone on the stairs…

Unless it was due to a more personal reason…

Shiraishi was as skilled as Zaizen in hiding his emotions but the difference was that he added a smile onto his mask.

But as he worked out the truth, a real smile appeared on his lips.1

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**I must say, this story is rather subtle. I think you can argue that it goes both ways. However, I say that this is yaoi because I think Zaizen would only react so violently against such words if what he feels for Shiraishi goes beyond the basic respect and friendship of a member of the tennis club to his buchou of the past two years. I think his normal reaction would be what Shiraishi said- just saying something sharp back. I think the only reason he physically punched Kirihara is because what he feels for Shiraishi is love, and therefore he is really angry at what Kirihara suggested, especially because it is something that he knows hurt Shiraishi quite a lot.**_

_**As mentioned in the beginning. Kirihara is playing the role of the villain. To be honest, I don't think this is highly impossible although this is probably more like the anime. Because in the anime he actually hit the ball toward Tachibana in his match with Fuji and then he actually taunted Kamio in the junior selection camp, and there is also that rally infamous scene at the hospital. To be honest I think Kirihara is worse in the anime, because in the manga it seems that he just goes berserk when he is on court and hey, most of these kids trash talk. (we can't expect everyone to be like Shiraishi and Tachibana. )**_

_**The situation of the story is this- there is a gathering that is attended by the captains and any second or first year. So Shiraishi is there with Zaizen and Kintarou.**_


	5. Niou: Lying about the truth

_**"Lying about the truth"**_

* * *

_**Summary:**__** The reason of Niou changing into Tezuka and Shiraishi in the final of the national.**_

_**Author's Note:**__** I had this huge debate of whether I should have this story in "Chapters", it was initially meant to be in "Chapters" and the original version actually have Tanako Ashita coming out but when I finished it, I changed my mind. But then I changed my mind again. So I then put Ashita back in. Because in the end, even when I leaved out Ashita, this story is still not fully about Niou, but about Shitenhouji and Shiraishi, and you really have to know Chapters and Sacrifice. Although I decided to put it in my random one shot collection as it doesn't seem to fit in chapters either- yet I don't think it can be an individual one shot under Niou. **_

_**Overall, I think this sort of shows how Niou sees Shiraishi.**_

_**When I first saw Niou, I actually didn't really like him much although later on I find him to be a very interesting character. However, the finals of the nationals result in my really liking him now. Due to his actions of transforming into Tezuka and then Shiraishi, I now see him in a completely different way.**_

_**I now think that Niou is actually quite a noble character, and hopefully this story will be able to express my view. **_

_**Completed:**_ _**April 30-May 5, 2008**_

* * *

Whenever Niou was accused of doing something he would laugh and claim that he had a reputation to live up to.

Niou did not really hate or dislike Sanada, but the other annoyed him more then a bit, and since Sanada was very easily fooled, he becomes Niou's favourite target. Although he was finding their new kohai very interesting to pick on as well.

Right now, however, he was focusing on annoying Sanada- the other was absolutely convinced that Niou was using the projector in the clubroom to watch his own films. But he had no proof because whenever he entered, he would find the trickster innocently watching videos of numerous players with a notebook being filled up.

"Do you really enjoy aggravating Genichirou so much?" Yanagi asked as he entered with a video tape in his hand.

"I should have guessed that you would be able to work out what I really am doing." Niou chuckled out. "But Yanagi, I have a great reputation to live up too. I can't let others know that I actually do a lot of work."

"Have it your way." Yanagi said simply. "Since I think this will help us I won't do anything."

Right now, Niou was looking at the recording of this year's Kantou regional, which Rikkai won against Hyoutei with relative ease. Niou was actually gathering data in his own way.

"I think Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu will do, but you probably already know this." Saying so, he stopped the video. "But I am having problems with my second choice. You know that I don't really want to imitate any of you three, but this really limits my options."

"There's Hyoutei's Atobe."

"Please, I do have dignity." Niou answered with a roll of his eyes. "I am not going to go around saying something so embarrassing."

"What about one of the two wings of Kyuushu? Tachibana Kippei or Chitose Senri." Yanagi 'suggested' as he slid the tape he brought into the VCR, although he did not press play yet.

"Running around and yelling is just not my style."

"What about the other…"

"Look Yanagi, I know that you already have someone in mind."

"As to be expected of you. I suggest 'the bible'."

"The bible?" Niou repeated this with a slight frown. "You are not suggesting that I become a westernised version of Sanada, are you? Reading the bible while he does his meditation."

"The bible is a title that is given to Shiraishi Kuranosuke, the buchou of Osaka's Shitenhouji Chuu. They had a win in the kansai regional that is as glorious as our own win." Yanagi explained without even needing to look at a notebook. "He was the only first year regular in his school last year and he has been making a reputation for himself even more this year due to his tennis- it is said to be perfect."

"Perfect tennis huh? That does sound very interesting." Niou admitted. "Shitenhouji Chuu…I haven't really heard of them before."

"Shienhouji Chuu is a public school in Osaka and their tennis club used to be just above average- occasionally getting into the nationals if they had a particularly good performance in the Kanai regional. However, they began to grow in strength when Watanabe Osamu became their coach at the start of the last school year. Watanabe Osamu is actually an internationals levelled tennis player who would have made a name for himself if he did not suddenly quit."

"Alright, let me judge for myself." Niou said, interrupting Yanagi- being one of the few who could do this- as the other's data can be pretty long as well.

They didn't start from Shiraishi's match, but the beginning of the finals. When he first saw Shitenhouji's doubles two, Niou almost wander whether Yanagi could actually make a mistake.

But once the game begun, the strange pair revealed themselves as very good doubles players because they have a very high amount of mutualism in addition to their skills.

They might appear as comedians but their skills were certainly not limited to it. In fact, he felt that they blended that with their tennis, making it a rather formidable tool.

The doubles one game turned out to be very different, but the result was similar.

"Shiraishi Kuranosuke is playing next for some reason, since he usually plays singles one." Yanagi commented when Shitenhouji gained another glorious victory. "This should be the deciding game, I will be most surprised if it isn't."

The following game was certainly one of the most impressive one that Niou has seen. Even though there was nothing particularly special in Shiraishi's move with the exception of a spinning smash, he still managed to dominate over his opponent with great ease.

"I am impressed." Niou admitted. "But this does not seem fun. It is very plain."

"I thought you didn't want to imitate Atobe." Yanagi replied dryly as took out the tape and placed it on top of the tape Niou had marked.

"There is a difference, Yanagi, between over the top and basic necessity."

* * *

Rikkai's attention on Shitenhouji was certainly not wasted because even though Majinofuji was the official runner up of the nationals, all the participators acknowledged Shitenhouji as the second strongest team.

A year passed since that day and they were at the nationals once more, they might be regarded as lucky as their opponent in the semi-final was the weakest out of all the four schools, although it was not as if any one of them were worried in the slightest way.

Which was probably why Yanagi backed up Yukimura's decision. Niou knew that it would work out for them in the end but he still didn't fully approve. His reason was rather personal as he felt bad for his close friend.

Yagyuu was a capable singles player too but he rarely gets to display his skills due to the others in their team.

Strange as it was, playing doubles with Yagyuu made them end up as being good friends despite their great differences. Perhaps part of his indignation was also due to the fact that Yagyuu was very acceptant about all this.

"This will help Kirihara-kun and I will not look bad when the truth is revealed." Yagyuu said simply. "Well, Niou-kun, should I make it 6-1 or 6-2?"

"Do whatever you want." Niou muttered. "I am going to take a look at Seigaku and Shitenhouji's game."

Despite everything, he still preferred to not watch his friends lose.

* * *

The regulars of Rikkai were often accused of being proud to the stage of being over confident but this was not fully true as they did acknowledge their rival's strength. But like most kids, this would not always be said out aloud.

Regardless of the outcome in the other semi-final, they admit that they would have a worthy opponent. They would not be pulling this trick if Nagoya Seitoku was not their opponent.

The game this side has just begun and conveniently for Niou, Shiraishi Kuranosuke was playing against Fuji Shuusuke.

Niou managed to imitate these two target's skill rather well, but he rarely used this as he usually did not need to do so. In fact, the last time he felt the need to use it was in last year's semi-final, and he might have if he actually had to play their doubles one game.

To describe Shiraishi's perfect tennis as not being exciting was a major understatement. To put it simply, it was really boring- but yet it filled up many of the weaknesses he saw in numerous other player styles.

This game served as another proof of how useful perfect tennis was: 4-0. One simply did not expect this kind of score to be shown at this stage with these people.

* * *

Three days later, Niou was playing against Fuji Shuusuke in the deciding game for Rikkai. He appeared the way he always was- cocky to the stage of over confidence, but deep down he was actually quite troubled.

Tezuka had his limits, especially when Fuji found a way to counter many of his moves. In addition to this was the fact that Niou felt his left hand getting sore- from his practices he knew that he had to stop soon because continuing was too dangerous and it did not result in an automatic win.

It was logical to transform into Shiraishi, who has actually beaten Fuji. But Niou did not really want to do this. He initially just felt bored in his first few attempts of playing perfect tennis but as he repeated it he started to really dislike it.

The boredom increased to the stage when he questioned why he was going this.

No doubt this was the same for Shiraishi, if not worse since the others did this in every one of his game. Thanks to Yanagi, Niou managed to see some of Shiraishi's game when his old style was used and this made Niou even more confused.

But now he could: it was the same reason that would result in him transforming into Shiraishi.

The most important thing was to win for their school.

"There is no weakness in Rikkai's three consecutive wins," he said softly, "The one who wins is the winner."

* * *

They managed to achieve their goal of winning for the third time but it was not due to him or Marui and Jackal. In the end, it was Yukimura who won for them.

The celebration at the yakiniku restaurant was planned for the night but everyone all had something to do until that time. This suited Niou as he had a lot of stuff to think about.

Without knowing why, he found himself walking toward a tennis court even though this was his main problem. When he saw Oshitari Kenya there, Niou suddenly had the idea of playing against Oshitari Kenya as Shiraishi.

Luckily for him, the other seemed to be waiting for Shiraishi as he greeted the now disguised Niou with the following words: "You are back rather quickly. Let's have our game now."

"Alright," he said, as he prepared for the other's serve.

Oshitari Kenya was actually a very good player and Niou was suddenly reminded of Shitenhouji's infamous joking pair. His main weapon was not his sole weapon.

But Niou still won, although this did not make him extremely cheerful because he much rather win the earlier game.

"So I still would not be able to beat you that day." Kenya muttered before he stretched out his hand. "Thank you, Niou-kun."

"What bit gave me away?" Niou asked as he slipped from his disguise.

"Well, I'll be honest. You are not as good as Shiraishi. But the most tell tale sign is your behaviour."

"My behaviours?"

"Shiraishi doesn't talk that much in a game. There has been occasions when the only time he spoke in the game was at the start and at the end. He's just that type of person."

"But I am not that type of person." Niou muttered to himself as he started to walk away.

As he walked down the stairs he passed Konjiki Koharu, one of the joking tennis players along with a girl who he did not recognise. Since Niou was not above listening to other people's conversations he carefully hide away, as he was sure that there would be something revealing.

"Did you just have a game with Rikkai's Niou Masaharu?" Koharu pointed out.

"With Niou Masaharu's Shiraishi."

"And yet you still lost? This really shows that Niou Masaharu alone is a very good player. It is a pity that he plays that way because unlike Yuuji, his imitation become a transformation, which make us forget that they are his own skills."

"I admit, my purpose of playing with him is a bit like Seigaku's Fuji. I thought that playing against him will proof something in regard to Shiraishi.

"But he is not Shiraishi." Kenya continued slowly. "I keep on thinking about the fifth and sixth counter. I could see that Shiraishi was panicking at the very start but unlike Niou, he quickly stopped. To be honest, Shiraishi was probably more calm then me in the semi-finals."

"So tennis is a bit like karate too. Being calm is really important." The girl said.

"I think that is important in any thing because being calm gives you better judgement." Kenya said. "Although I lied to Niou- what immediately gave him away was the fact that I know Shiraishi and Yuuji should be coming back together and he would have some sort of explanation if he did not come back with Yuuji."

"And his perfect tennis, Kuranosuke says that he will never play that again." The girl added.

"That is why I pretended to not recognise him because I want to be able to have a match with Shiraishi when he plays his perfect tennis- yet he is quite determined in never playing that again."

* * *

For some reason, Niou suddenly started to laugh and he actually felt like his old self again: he was eager to trick someone.

"Oshitari Kenya, you actually dares to con the trickster." He muttered with a wide smirk. "I should give you many interesting memoires of Tokyo."

"Niou!"

"Yukimura?"

"Don't worry, it is not time to meet up yet." The buchou of Rikkai assured him. "But I've been looking for you."

"To do what?"

"To help me buy some souvenirs for my little sister. Sanada is not good at such things; Jackal's taste is not really suitable for a girl; Bunta and Akaya's answers will just be food; Yagyuu always pay full price while Yanagi…"

"Is too embarrassing for most." Niou said after he first made sure that their other team mates was not around. "'Considering that this metal is one of the cheapest while the actual object is made by cheap labour, I think your cost of goods sold is only xxx dollar, but since you are the seller you do have to make a gross profit. Yet I still think a yyy in mark up is too high."

"That is why, so can you help me?"

"Of course." He said. "I have to buy some…souvenirs myself."

"Thank you very much then, Niou."

Niou's automatic reply died when he realised the impact and seriousness behind these seemingly light hearted words. Yukimura was not just thanking him for what he would do, but for what he did earlier on today.

And that could only be due to one thing.

They were not like Fudoumine or Seigaku, who openly and even lavishly display their affection and friendship, but to suspect them of being bond by nothing other then the desire of winning was wrong.

"It is no more then what I should do." Niou answered simply.

This was how they show their emotions.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**This is basically my interpretation of Niou's character- I really think that he is a character who works a lot but always hide this, making sure that no one can see this. In 40.5, the thing that Niou have to do everyday is actually studying and revising.**_

_**As for shitenhouji, well, I seriously can't believe that a school who made into the semi-final twice in a role and faced the winners of both round, is not strong and just got their place due to luck. For some reason, which I can's really explain, I really believe that Watanabe played a main role in increasing Shitenhouji's strength.**_

_**As for Kenya's actions, this relate to my fan fiction- he and Shiraishi had a rivalry that started from their first year, although the rivalry was really from Kenya's side.**_

_**Lastly, the talk between Yukimura and Niou, I really think that there is a friendship between the regulars but just because they don't do it in a really dramatic way, there is no proof that it doesn't exist. I think they just show their friendship in a different way.**_


	6. Watanabe: Welcome back

"**Welcome back"**

* * *

_**Summary:**__** I can't think of a summary but the basic idea is that Watanabe and Hanamura had a relationship in the past, and due to meeting at a training camp, they are forced to deal with their relationship- both how they should handle it, as well as reflecting how it affected them both.**_

_**Author's Note:**__** I **__**actually **__**basically had the idea for this story for age and I've tried to do it quite some times but none of these attempt worked- they rarely get very far. However, on**__**e day I had a really bad day **__**as I got a pretty bad mark **__**for an essay **__**so that's why I ended up sitting down and just type.**_

_**Completed:**__** May 25, 2009- June 20, 2009**_

* * *

Due to discussing the training schedule that only one of them currently had a copy of, the two of them was standing very close to one another. At a glance, they seemed to be a most strange pair. Hanamura was dressed in the latest fashion with the just right amount of make up applied- the image of a woman who was clearly rather conscious of her appearance. Watanabe was the complete opposite of her, as not only was he dressed in a very scruffy way, he didn't even bother to have a proper shave, and his hair was also very tussled.

Yet there was a slight sense of naturalness when the two of them stood so close together. Perhaps it was because of the way Hanamura was almost leaning toward him, although the man could be said to be much colder in his response.

"So, the groups we are in charge of will be playing together, it will certainly be very interesting…Osamu-kun." Hanamura said sweetly.

"It will be so…Hanamura-san." Watanabe said evenly.

"Surely there is no need for you to be so formal with me." she said, a bit disappointed. "I do not think you have ever called me by my proper name before."

"Yet I have never advanced beyond the last name, as the most informal way I have addressed you is Hana-chan. But after all," he added with a slightly bitter smile. "You were the one who made the fact that you are two years older then me very clearly."

"That was then." she said. "Two years was a very large gap when we were that age."

"That is true. And that was also when I was very impolite with the way I address people- especially my elder. Therefore, I am determined to not make that mistake again. So, Hanamura-san, if you can excuse me." saying so, Watanabe left her and went to the team he was currently supervising.

It so happened to include one of her students: the captain, no less.

"Watanabe-sensei, do you know Hanamura-sensei?" Kajimoto asked curiously.

"Yes and no." was the answer. "How well do you really know any one, Kajimoto-kun?"

What he said was the truth- sometime he felt that he had never really knew the real Hanamura Aoi. The woman he went out with as a young teenager was very different from the older woman he broke up with a few years ago.

He supposed people can condemn him for being a typical man, you want what you could not get, although he did not think that this was very fair, because Hanamura was exactly the same as him.

At fourteen he had been crazy for her and that was why he ended up being here.

I wanted to be a boyfriend she could be proud of,he thought with a bitter smile, only to realise that whatever I did would not matter as I could not change the fact that she was born two years earlier then me.

"Ashita!"

He heard Shiraishi calling out the name of his girlfriend happily and he had to secretly admit that the reason he allowed this was very biased. If Tanako Ashita wanted to come and help then he would let her come and help. His reasoning was that this was because she was Shiraishi's girlfriend- which also meant that she really was here to help instead of providing any romantic conflict. She would not have half of the team falling in love with her, and be torn with who she should choose.

Although such a thing tends to only exist in shojo manga that Aizuki would sometimes read underneath her text book when they were still in junior high school.

"Why, it's Ashita-chan." He said with a smile as he turned to greet the girl.

Ashita was the reminder that Aizuki always had a person who loved her, and no doubt Aizuki would have been happy with the way her sister ended up like.

Tanako Ashita was a normal girl in many ways and that was more then what could be said of her elder sister at that age.

"Banda-sensei tells me to give this to you- it is a revised schedule." Ashita said before she asked: "Sensei, do you know Yamabuki's coach? He seems to know you. He was saying how you were never one to follow schedule when you were a student."

"I was his student once." Watanabe explained simply. "It was only for a year but he really changed my life in that short year."

"Was Sensei in Yamabuki before?" Shiraishi asked, surprised at this information. "Hasn't Banda-sensei been teaching in Yamabuki for ages?"

"I was his student when I was in my second year of junior high school. I had to go and attend school in Tokyo with my aunt and uncle as there was some family issue at that time."

This was really an understatement as well as shifting the blame, as his family's problem at that time was him.

"Banji is… to an extent he is a great coach, but to another extent he is also quite crazy." Watanabe said with what could probably be described as a fond exasperation. "He sees talent and tries to get them for his school, but a lot of the time it is not really wise to get such a person in the team."

Akutsu was one, and so was he. To a certain extent he was probably worse then Akutsu as his first meeting with Yamauki's coach had ended up with a black eye as a greeting gift. Although Watanabe defended himself by pointing out that he was in the middle of a fight and lacked the time to tell the old man that he did not wish to join the tennis club.

Yet Banji still welcomed him into the team even though a large amount of the other club members seemed to have contemplated quitting upon his presence.

* * *

One of the most troublesome things about this training camp was that his ability of smoking was extremely limited. It wasn't just that he couldn't smoke, but he also had to make sure that the smell of smoke was absent. He was finally forced to do so due to a large amount of complaint.

He was glad as he knew that this was a hobby that should be stopped, but yet he was simply unable to do so.

"I see that you still haven't quit." Banji commented as he suddenly sneak up behind his ex-student. "I recalled that she did not like it very much."

"There was a lot of stuff about me that she didn't like." Watanabe muttered. "Including being two years younger then her."

"I do not meant Hanamura, I mean her, that girl whom I saw you with when I visited Osaka for your senior high school competition."

"You mean Ai-chan?"

"She didn't like you calling her that." Banji chuckled out. "Her reaction showed that quite clearly."

"Why are you calling me with such a stupid name?" Had been Aizuki's very loud protest. "It is so common…like Hanako or Aiko! And the fact that my last name is sometimes mistaken as Tanaka is bad enough."

"Aizuki." He said- a name that was rather rare to him as he always called her by that name which annoyed her, that was probably why he did so. But the last time they talked…he had called her Aizuki.

That was when he told her that he had met Hanamura in his new university (in Tokyo, as a scholarship was offered to him due to tennis) and after a few months, he has decided to go out with her again, as that was what she asked of him.

Aizuki called him an idiot…a _baka _instead of _aho, _and then she just simply walked out of the door and his life.

Sometimes he was sure he knew why her reaction was like that, but other times he wonder whether he just thought too highly of himself.

If anything, he was a coward, as he did not try to contact her again after the few months' attempt of calling a phone that would hang up, and letters that would travel back to him.

When he first heard about Shiraishi's girlfriend, he had been very surprised as it seemed too much of a coincidence. He has never visited her house before as their parents disapproved of him, even when he returned from Tokyo as a reformed boy. However, despite the fact that the amount he has seen Ashita was when he was in junior high could be counted with one hand, Aizuki often talks about her little sister. At one point, he even said: "Is she really your parent's instead of yours?"

Her reply was a kick in the shins.

But Ashita was a rather unusual name and the fact that she was also called Tanako made the coincidence a bit too impossible. When he saw her, he was even more sure as he could see the family resemblance.

But what did this mean for him?

* * *

The hope of nothing happening was really too naïve, but what ended up happening was really the worst case scenario for him.

There was a fight, that was normal and his juvenile delinquency days made him more then capable to handle any fights without appearing as if he was joining the fight himself.

Until right now…he was seriously contemplating handing his resignation in order to give a good beating to both the responsible parties. What happened was really not the two boy's fault due to the fact they never realised the consequences of such actions.

Momoshiro and Kaidou had been in a fight, which included them to shove one another as they raced down the stairs…Only that Ashita happened to be walking along with a pile of equipments that prevented her from ducking.

"We really didn't mean any harm to Tanako-kun." Tezuka said, extremely polite, this was no longer a small matter as the young girl had the misfortune to fall with her head hitting the rail.

"Tezuka…" Watanabe's voice was extremely soft, and that was probably way there was something very scary about it, making everyone automatically taking a step back, while Tezuka actually stopped talking.

"Tezuka…just shut up." Watanabe hissed, and his fist was actually clenched. "Nobody says anything right now."

"…she seems alright." Momoshiro announced hopefully as he entered the room, unaware of the tension.

He might have continued with his goods news if it wasn't for the fact that Watanabe suddenly swing his fist toward the wall beside him, causing a crack.

"I said, no body says anything right now." Watanabe repeated again, his voice still very low. "I can't control myself right now."

"Osamu, don't be so extreme." Much to everyone's shock and surprise, Banji actually walked up to him and grabbed hold of his hand.

"Old man, do not test my endurance." Watanabe snapped. "Do not think that you will be immune."

Those who understood native Kansai received another shock as the words he used were actually very rude and crude, associated with delinquency.

But Banji was completely unfazed and he continued speaking, even smiling.

"Osamu- you are not in a position to act as if she is your younger sister, are you?"

"She is a student that is placed under my care." Watanabe reasoned, and his speech was now much more polite, a sign of him being a bit calmer.

"No, you are this mad because she is your precious Ai-chan's sister."

"Old man, how much do you know? If you know so damned much then you could have prevented me from making that mistake." Watanabe snapped as he shook of the hand. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Tezuka: "I admit, this is an accident so do what you think is fitting.

"By the way, Tezuka-kun," he added, a strange smile on his face. "You better make sure that these two can come up with a very convincing apology. If Ashita-chan's sister was here, she would already have punched and kicked these two for daring to hurt her precious sister."

* * *

Ashita did recover and by now, she had heard of what had happened and she was clearly very embarrassed about what she accidentally ended up causing. However, she was even more curious about how the tennis coach and teacher in her school seemed to know her sister.

Was that why he called her by the first name? Initially, she thought that was just because he called many of the regulars by their first name too.

"Ashita-chan, are you feeling better?" Watanabe asked as he refused Shiraishi's offer of taking his chair by pulling another chair out in order to sit beside them, as he knew that this would probably take some time.

"Sensei…about what happened this evening, Oshitari-kun said that…"

"Here."

In Watanabe's wallet was a rather photo of a young boy and a young girl. The young boy was no doubt Watanabe although his hair was actually dyed blond and much longer then now, and his uniform was ripped in many places.

Ashita recognised the young girl as her elder sister, but this was an image of her elder sister that she was very unfamiliar with. Not only Aizuki was wearing make up in an amount that Ashita only see in special occasions, her hair was actually dyed in blond streaks and instead of the proper flat shoes of junior high girls, she had a pair of stilettos.

"We took this photo just before I went to Tokyo for my second year of junior high school. The reason I had to go was because I was causing too much trouble for my parents." He admitted.

"'Ai-chan'?" Strangely, this was the thing that got Ashita's interest the most. She suddenly recalled a time when one of her sister's better boyfriends had dinner with them. In the middle of the meal, he suddenly addressed her sister as Ai-chan, and that caused her sister to immediately snap at him, almost threatening to kick him out of the house.

"That is a very special name." her sister had said afterward. "Only one person is allowed to call me that."

"So sensei is the one who calls her Ai-chan." Ashita muttered. "So Sensei is that person."

They were in the same class in junior high school and they actually shared the same desk. Although they only started to have a strange friendship sometime later, due to a chance meeting after school where they worked together.

Watanabe had been involved in a fight and Aizuki happened to walk pass. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, one of the boys who was ganging up on him happened to be someone who Aizuki rejected. As a result, she became involved as well.

Her gender did not really disadvantaged her as she was very skilled at hitting just the right spot and she had a deadly weapon in her shoes, which were rather high, while her nails were a bit sharp. Afterwards, the two of them had pooled in their money and brought some cheap beer.

That was how they ended up being friends.

"When I was really little, I do recall a few times when my parents would be yelling at my sister, on the days when she returned home rather late. But I don't recall much as she seemed to have stopped when I went to primary, as she would always go home with niichan and I."

"We both decided to turn over a new leaf. We were classmates in senior high too." Watanabe told her. "To tell the truth…we might easily have become more then that."

They would have if it wasn't for his own infatuation with Hanamura…

His stay in Tokyo ended when Hanamura broke up with him. Even though he no longer had any romantic feelings for her, thinking about the event still irritated him as it had been a very severe blow to his pride, especially when he was at that age.

He had been doing very well in tennis and many girls in his school would actually put letters in his locker and desk, even though none of them had been willing to approach him just a month or two ago. Although it might not have just been due to tennis, because he had also stopped dying his hair, and the amount of time he practiced actually lessened the time he have for fighting.

All of this was done for the sake of pleasing Hanamura Aoi, who he was crazy about at that time. But in the end, it still wasn't enough. No matter what, he was younger then her by two years and people in her school, especially boys whom she had rejected, would laugh at her due to this.

He pleaded, begged, implored, but none of these tactics worked. A few days later, he decided to head back to Osaka, since Tokyo was just too painful.

Aizuki had been at the train station to welcome him, and the first thing she said to him was: "Welcome back, I am glad that you have returned."

But who was she referring to? Their native city or her?

Even though he was still infatuated with Hanamura, he did not talk to Aizuki about her, as Aizuki made her opinion about the other girl quite clear. Not only did she dislike her, she also thought of him as an idiot due to this.

Now he has to agree with her.

"But sensei, why is it that you and my sister have lost contact?" Ashita asked. He knew that she would ask this since he made it quite clear that the two of them were once extremely close.

"A lots of stuff."

This was not fully false but all these a lots of stuff could be summarise in one name: Hanamura Aoi.

* * *

In the end, a phone call was made and Watanabe decided that he would do it himself, instead of letting Ashita do it. After all, this was part of his duty as a coach. Ashita was injured under his care, so he had to do it.

It was also because he knew that if this chance go, then he might never have the courage to talk to her again.

"Hello?" it was strange, but the moment he heard her voice, he suddenly realise that the relationship he had with Aizuki was the deliberate opposite of the relationship he had with Hanamura. He never knew the real Hanamura as a boy, and that was why he had been disillusioned when he met up with her again. However, just by hearing Aizuki's voice let him knew that she was not the one who changed, it was he who never truly understood himself.

"Aizuki…it has been a long time. Hasn't it?" he said softly.

"Osamu?" she was shocked for a few seconds, but then she quickly recalled where her sister was. "Has something happened with Ashita? Is that why you are calling?"

"Yes, but it is partly because I want to talk to you." He told her before he began a quick summary.

He had to admit that he was a bit worried at Aizuki's reaction. But much to his surprise, she did not seem angry at all.

"I am surprised that you manage to have such a good hold on your self." Was what she finally said, causing him to automatically say: "You have no right to say that to me, Ai-chan!"

"'Ai-chan'?" Aizuki repeated this name with a slight chuckle, and he thought that he could see her rolling her eyes at the other side. "Well, would you believe it? I actually miss that stupid nickname."

"Your sister said that you are most insistent in not having anyone else calling you that."

"I would say that one person calling me that is enough." She said in an equally light voice.

"Oh Aizuki, when have you become the type of girl who waits for the guy to make the first move?" he finally said after a slight pause. "Alright, I'll throw my cards on the table, that is fair, right? Then you can judge what your moves will be. I did go out with Hanamura Aoi again but it lasted a much shorter time, I broke up with her after a few months."'

"How would I have known?" she said rather frostily. "I did not see you ever since that day. Why didn't you visit me then? I did hang up when you call and returned your letters but if you explained then…"

"Because I am a coward." He admitted. "And because I didn't realise what I actually felt for you until it is much too late. I thought that what we had was only friendship because it was not that same intense and passionate infatuation I had with Hanamura. Aizuki… I can promise you that I would not be with her again. I realised that I never knew the real Hanamura Aoi when I was a child and once I realised what she is really like when I was a teenager, I discovered that I do not like that type of person."

"And what about me? Osamu… you were wrong in what you said. In that extent I am the type of woman who wait for the man to make the first move. Why do you think that I never once told you that I actually like you? After all, I realised that when you went to Tokyo."

"I love you and I want to be with you." He said simply, not caring that he was using the public phone, which meant that anyone could hear him. "Ai-chan… I… I have not regretted anything more then what the mistake that I did. Because I think we would have been married if I realised it earlier."

"You said that you were infatuated with Hanamura when you were younger but realised the feeling for what it was when you get older." Aizuki said very slowly, "What if I said the same to you as well?"

"Then I will apologise for bothering you and hang up the phone. After all, how can I reproach another for the same mistake that I did? Well, I would try to ask you for a chance first, but if that didn't work, then I would give up. But Ai-chan, I don't think I have changed that much and somehow…I don't think you have." He said honestly, not even nervous. Perhaps it was because he had some sort of fatalism.

She laughed, and he automatically smiled due to this.

"Well, you are lucky then, Osamu." She said. "Come to find me as soon as you return to Osaka."

They could not spend that long talking since she had to go to work, while he should really be doing a similar thing as well. But first of all, there was another problem.

"Eavesdropping is not very ladylike, Hanamura-san." He said as he turned around, rather shocked at seeing her beside him, although he did not really care.

"So this is it, I guess? You are going back to your Ai-chan." Hanamura said with a spread of her hands. "This is what could have happened all these years ago... no, this is what happened a few years ago."

"You know, if you made different choices when we were younger then things might be different." he told her, what he did not tell Aizuki, because there was no need to do so. "If I learnt about the type of person that you are when we were still going out the first time, I think I could have learnt to live with her. After all, I was crazy for you at that time. I might have ended up very different then."

"You are not the only one who made mistakes…Watanabe-kun." Hanamura said with a rather bitter smile. "I feel what I should have felt years and years too late. But you are luckier then me as she did not change."

"Hanamura-san, it is true that I regret continuing being so infatuated with you after you dumped me, and believing that I was still crazy about you when we met again in college. However, I do not regret that I met you when I went to Tokyo. Even though it was all due to your own vanity, I am glad that you made me change, because who knows where I would be if I didn't went to play tennis due to the desire of pleasing you." Upon saying this, Watanabe stretched out his hand. "So, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Watanabe-kun." She said graciously as she took that hand. This should not be a good bye between lovers but then he was only speaking of their relationship as what it had been like when they were both teenagers. It was just someone thanking another for a small thing that caused their fate to alter dramatically.

* * *

The team were met by their family while Ashita's siblings were both there. Ashita first had her head examined by her elder sister before her brother began to ask questions.

He was not a young teenager taking a long trip so there was usually no one there, however, he might be able to describe this as an exception.

After she left her younger sister to her twin brother, Aizuki walked to him.

Like him, she had stopped dying her hair for sometime and she actually has it pulled back by a clasp- a very simple but elegant style. Likewise, she was neatly dressed. She was still wearing high heels, although he doesn't think this was due to them being a good weapon when she got into fights (he had been stabbed by these shoes before and that was not an experience he cared to repeat).

"Welcome back, Osamu." She said simply.

"I…is that all the welcome that I get?" he asked, and he was not pretending to be a bit disappointed.

"I didn't know that you are so greedy!" Aizuki laughed out and she actually leant forward to kiss him on the lips.

There were times when she kissed his checks, and there were also times when he kissed her hands, but this was the first time they had such an intimate contact with one another. However, he was not surprised at the fact that it feels so natural.

"I won't go away again." He told her sincerely.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _**As mentioned before, I actually had this idea for ages, although initially it actually started of as a yaoi story, it was actually Hanamura losing to Shiraishi, after she saw Shiraishi and the rest planning to give Watanabe a birthday cake at the training camp. However, when I got this idea again, it seems more suitable to make it into an alternative Aizuki and Watanabe pairing and to be honest, I've wrote extracts in regard to this pairing. But this is like an alternative story because it does not relate to sacrifice and chapters. Basically: same character, but different past/situation. **_

_**Even in the earliest ideas, this story is meant to start at the training camp, talking about what a different pair Watanabe and Hanamura was, and show that while she seemed to want to reconcile, he clearly does not. The juvenal delinquent is an idea that I've had for ages but I didn't thought about putting it in this story before. Initially I actually wanted to write about their story even when they were still young, but that didn't work out.**_

_**I feel that Banji does seem to have recruited other students like Akutsu before, and he really seem to know a lot of stuff, it is just that he doesn't s how this.**_

_**I don't know why, but I always really like the idea of Watanabe addressing Ashita with 'chan', as "Ashita-chan". I also had fun in slightly mocking the idea of Mary Sue in the story and how they exist in shojo manga.**_

_**The whole incident with Ashita being hit on the roof is inspired from what happened in the anime- the American team selection, when Kirihara fall off the stairs. But once I got that idea, that really make sense and it was interesting to show a hint of the old Watanabe in the story, when he was actually a delinquent.**_

_**But him calling her 'Ai-chan' is actually quite ironic, because I initially had an idea of a one shot that takes place after Shiraishi and Ashita married and Ashita was visiting Watanabe and Aizuki and aizuki met an ex-boyfriend of her's and he is actually the one who calls her Ai-chan, and it ended up with Watanabe asking Ashita whether she remembers one of Aizuki's boyfriend calling her Ai-chan.**_

_**Although one thing I don't really know is what happened to her parents in the story. There is the whole thing about how her parents gave birth to the twins when they were really young, but I didn't really mention about whether her parents still got killed in the car accident. It is implied that Aizuki and Akio are now in charge of the family because it is them that Watanabe first contact when Ashita got injured.**_

_**In regard to who cause it, I really spent ages thinking about this and in the end, I settle for Momoshiro and Kaidou.**_

_**Apparently in Kansai, aho can be used rather affectionately, whereas Baka is actually a bit more serious.**_


End file.
